Of Companionship, Loyalty, and Love
by Curondhil
Summary: Farkas does not quite know what to make of the new blood that joined the Companions, and Vilkas simply does not care. She will die within a week anyway, right? Rating might change in later chapters. Possibly OC/Farkas or OC/Vilkas, will see as the story develops.
1. Chapter 1

_My first real story ever. Please rate and review!_

_I write this just for the sake of writing and have no idea where this is going._

_Also, English is not my native language, so sorry for any mistakes._

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><p>Vilkas thought of himself as a simple man. Sure, he was not necessarily uncomplicated, he knew he was sometimes a little broody and not exactly as cheerful and welcoming to strangers as his brother, but he never considered any of these things to be a problem. If one gave him a little time and maybe a good reason, he could become friendly with almost anybody. Or so he thought.<p>

"...cannot even be in the same room as that idiotic, arrogant, ignorant..." Vilkas closed his eyes. There was that headache again. Did that woman never shut up? He sighed, but it was inaudible due to the constant stream of words coming from the new blood's mouth. At first Vilkas didn't like the idea of getting her drunk. Yes, it was tradition to go for a few bottles of mead with the new members of the Companions at the night of their welcoming ceremony, but he really didn't feel like joining in. There were just too many things on his mind. He couldn't focus on what was going on around him properly, and he knew that mead would not help the situation. He also didn't exactly know what to expect from the new girl, and how she would be when drunk. Ria for example became very touchy feely after the fourth or so bottle of mead while Aela picked fights with anybody instead. Farkas just wanted to cuddle everybody, including Jarls, watchmen, and trees. But this girl, that for some reason seemed to despise Vilkas, just talked. About him. As if he weren't there. Constantly.

"...not even a single nice word, nothing! No _welcome_, no _well done newbie_, he won't even say my name! I bet he doesn't even know it! He just pushes me around. _Here, get my sword sharpened! Here, run an errand for me, do this, There, do that! _And always with that glare..."

Vilkas had stopped listening a while ago. _Can't she just continue drinking? At least she's quiet while she has a bottle on her lips._

Farkas though seemed to have a great night. He really enjoyed the way the newbie slagged off his brother and would laugh at her impressions of Vilkas as she tried to copy how he bossed her around.

Vilkas himself didn't really care about the new girl. His thoughts were somewhere else. The blood... he still felt the call of the blood. Envious he eyed his brother who seemed to have no problems whatsoever to resist the urge to transform, howl at the moon, run on the fields and hunt whatever poor creature dared to cross their paths. Just the thought of it got his mouth watery.

No, he should have stayed at Jorrvaskr. This new member of the Companions meant nothing to him and would, in his opinion, not even survive the first week. He had seen it so often.

Without even as much as a word, Vilkas got up and left the Bannered Mare. He felt his brother's eyes on his back, but also knew that nobody else noticed his disappearance. _All the better._

While heading back to the place he called home, he thought of all the Companions of late. Not many were around these days, and not many survived long enough to be called Companion by Vilkas. They just had to mourn too many losses. So many wannabe warriors from all over Skyrim sought their fame and fortune by heading to Whiterun and trying to join the Companions. Vilkas did not like that. If someone arrived at the door, someone who had a name, a reputation, or maybe at least brought a dead sabre cat with him, Vilkas would be the first to welcome him amongst their ranks. But people like this girl... He shook his head. What was Kodlak thinking? She wasn't even wearing proper armour. Just a bit of leather, and two swords that reminded him of daggers rather than anything else. She looked so tiny and fragile. Vilkas was supposed to test her strength, and just let her hit him, afraid he might accidentally break her in half if he took a swing at her. Fair play to her, she hit him quite nicely. But he knew that in a real fight, against an opponent like himself or his brother, the girl wouldn't last a minute.

When he arrived at Jorrvaskr, he glanced at the building for a second before entering. All this history. All these important people, heroes, true warriors, battles, epic deeds... And now they were so desperate for new members as to accept anybody... even if they were as weak as this girl.

Vilkas entered the building and went straight downstairs, in the direction of his room. He knew that within a few days, a few weeks at the most, they would meet at the Skyforge to burn the girl's body. _What was Kodlak thinking...?_

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><p>Farkas had a great night! There was mead, there was song, there were friends all around him, and there was a nice excuse to enjoy a few more pints than usual. A new Companion at last! He had a good feeling about that one, even though she seemed tiny, he had seen her in action and knew what she was capable of. Although she was not as physically strong as him or his brother, she seemed to know exactly just where to stick her blades. As if for some reason she saw every weakness in her opponents defence. He admired that, just as he admired the way she moved. When Vilkas came down the stairs in Jorrvaskr, Farkas was able to tell from the noise alone long before he could see his brother, and he knew that he himself was no different. This girl though was here one second, and somewhere completely else the next, and he never knew how she got from one point to another so quickly. And she was kinda cute, too. A little young for him maybe, she must be about ten years younger than himself. <em>And I'd probably squash her<em>. The thought made him smirk, so he quickly brought his tankard up to his lips to hide the treacherous smile.

Farkas knew that his brother frustrated the girl, but he didn't worry about it too much. Sooner or later he would warm up to her, as he always did. But the new blood, Sanja, just couldn't let it go. She must have started ranting about Vilkas just after her third tankard of mead, and she only stopped when she noticed that he had left.

Farkas also didn't worry about his brother. He knew exactly what occupied Vilkas's mind and would give him the privacy he wanted. But since nobody was there to make up for all the drink, that Vilkas was supposed to have that night, Farkas had to take one for the team and drink twice as much as usual. _Could be worse_, he thought as he downed his ninth tankard. That was when the singing began. All of a sudden, Sanja was standing on a table, howling something that was probably supposed to be a drinking song. _She's far, far gone._ Nobody seemed to mind, after all everybody was quite intoxicated at this stage, and nobody apart from Farkas seemed to notice the slight change in the girl's facial colour. Quickly he jumped up, grabbed the girl, threw her over his shoulder like a potato sack, and carried her to the door, followed by some amused, and even more surprised looks. Just as he was ready to put her down on her feet, he heard that treacherous choking noise, followed by an uncomfortable, warm wetness running down his back.

"...Oh... Sorry..." Was all he heard before the vomiting continued. He finally put the girl down and held her hair back so it wouldn't fall into her face while she reproduced all the mead she had that night. Well, he'd need a bath, but at least she didn't. In this state, she'd probably drown.

Farkas, being the good shield-brother he was, waited for her to finish before picking her up bridal style and carrying her to Jorrvaskr. While Sanja was falling asleep in his arms he mumbled to himself "...You owe me, girl. Big time!"


	2. Chapter 2

Vilkas was the only one who was out in the courtyard at sunrise. He really was not surprised, after all everyone else was out on a drinking session the previous night. He liked being on his own as the sun just rose above Skyrim. The air was cold and a chilly breeze tickled his face as he held his broadsword in front of him, making a few swings at a dummy to warm up for some training. Vilkas loved the early hours of the day, for it was not often he was granted solitude. There was not much privacy in Jorrvaskr and even though the members of the Circle had their private quarters, there was always someone around him. Only when everyone else was asleep was he able to relax and train just for himself, without the curious eyes of anybody who might want to learn a few tricks from him. He did not mind teaching the newbies how to wield a sword, but sometimes Vilkas wanted to train just for himself. The only company he would accept at times like these was his brother's, but Farkas was doubtlessly still asleep, trying to sober up from the previous night.

After a few more hard swings at the training dummy, Vilkas dropped his broadsword and took a longsword instead. He preferred to hold a weapon with both hands, but being a Companion meant being a master of all arms, so he would practice with whatever he could find. A small smile crossed his lips as he remembered how several years ago Farkas had used a barstool to fight a mercenary and won! You had to use the means given to you and you cannot always be fussy about how you save yourself. Vilkas knew that better than anyone else. And now that he had vowed not to transform any more he needed practice more than ever. His most powerful weapon had been taken from him.

With a grunt, he slashed a big piece of wood off the dummy.

Farkas had been awake most night. There had been nothing unusual about this one in particular, it was just the beast blood that kept him from falling asleep. After the bath he took the previous night, or rather early this morning, he went straight to bed but sleep did not come. It happened all the time. If he fell asleep at all, he would wake at every sound. Usually the mead helped him relax, but last night even that did not work. He considered getting up to get some fresh air, but after hearing his brother's familiar footsteps heading towards the stairs, he changed his mind. Vilkas enjoyed the few moments of solitude he could get, so Farkas would not spoil them for his brother. Instead he would just have a lie-in. His thoughts wandered to the previous night. Boy, would the she be ashamed! That was, if she remembered at all. All the things she said to and about Vilkas... some of them were really horrible, though Farkas knew that his brother didn't care. She could say nothing he hadn't heard before. But Farkas also knew that the girl probably did not know that. And then she puked all over him. A deep, heartily chuckle escaped him at the memory. Farkas didn't care too much, he was used to being covered in blood and guts, so this was no worse than his daily routine. But he knew that the new blood was not as used to these things yet. Watching her squirm would be fun today! He would tease her with these things, but just a little.

After another half an hour of just lying there, he decided it was finally time to get up. He might even check on the girl, just to make sure she hadn't choked on her own vomit in her sleep. Not as if there had been anything he could do about it though. Farkas got into some simple leather pants and a linen tunic and finally left his room. The door to the sleeping quarters of the newbies was open, and he just glanced around the corner for a second the make sure Sanja was alright. She looked a little pale, but Farkas knew that to be the normal consequence of all the alcohol she had the night before. She had tried to keep up with the other girls, but was obviously not as used to the mead as Aela or Njada. It would be a while ere they would be able to get her drunk again, Farkas was sure of that.

He finally made his way upstairs and out of the doors to join his brother in the courtyard. Vilkas just greeted him with a nod, but Farkas needed no more than that. Wordlessly he walked over to a weapon rack and took the broadsword that Vilkas had put down earlier. They immediately started sparring. Since neither of them was armoured, they both held back and just did it for the physical exercise rather than actual training. This had been their daily routine since they were kids, and nothing would ever change that.

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><p>Sanja was dreaming. Her head was a bell, a big, golden bell. And someone who looked a lot like Farkas, her favourite shield-brother, hit it with a big hammer. Again, and again, and again. She finally awoke from the pain, but the agony only grew as she tried to open her eyes. She had a taste in her mouth as if something had crawled into it and died in there the previous night. Jorrvaskr's bedrooms were all downstairs, so there was no natural light, yet even the small candle burning on her night stand seemed to cause her physical pain just by radiating a not very bright, orange light.<p>

The young woman tried to remember how she got into her bed, but she couldn't by the love of Talos figure it out. Her last memories... There was someone in the Bannered Mare with her. The Companions. Aela was there, and Skjor, Ria, Torvar, Athis, Njada... Farkas of course, and the Grump.

Now returned the memory of the things she said about him. Sanja sat straight up in her bed, and regretted it less than a second later. The pain! Now also her stomach seemed to rebel as it started making grumbling noises and she felt a little sick. That reminded her... She puked, didn't she?

Sanja closed her eyes for another second and took a deep breath, trying to collect her thoughts. She had insulted Vilkas. Badly. Much more than she intended to. She remembered wanting to make fun of him in front of everyone else just to teach him a little lesson, but since he didn't seem to care at all she pushed it further and further... A little blood rushed up her cheeks and quickly changed her facial colour from greenish-white to embarrassed-pink. It was really never her intention to say these things! Would he hate her even more now? Her head seemed to ache more and more every minute, so she decided to just fall back on her pillow and try to sleep a little longer. Maybe the pain would be gone once she woke up again. Or maybe the ground below her would open up and swallow her. That would be nice.

But sleep did not come. Instead Sanja felt another wave of nausea and just knew that she had to get fresh air as quickly as possible. She got up, grabbed her clothes as fast as her body would let her, and ran out of the room.

She tried to get properly dressed while walking towards the stairs that led up into the big hall. Her long dark hair was messy and her clothes crumpled, but that did not matter for nobody else was to be seen anywhere. Sanja could hear noises from outside though, so she headed, carrying her boots still in her hand, towards the door that led to the courtyard. The sudden rush of sunlight reminded her of her dream that night, and the pain in her head got worse.

"Are you alright, girl?" It took Sanja a second to identify the voice. "Aela... my head..." The sound of clashing swords now reached her ears, underlined by Aela's soft chuckle. "I am not surprised, you tried to out-drink us all. Even Farkas!" Sanja sighed. Had she really been that stupid? It took her another moment to open her eyes. Standing beside her were Aela, Torvar, and Njada, all of them watching what seemed to be a fight. Her eyes narrowed. The twins were fighting. All of a sudden her headache was forgotten. She had never seen them fight each other before and found herself unable to look away. Neither of the men wore armour and they seemed to move effortlessly over the ground. So much faster than she had ever seen them before. "I guess that makes sense..." she mumbled to herself. "What does?" Aela inquired. "They are used to heavy armour. All that metal weighs a ton, so when they don't wear it, they are really fast." She still couldn't remove her eyes from the spectacle and so did not see Aela's nod. "Maybe you should try it yourself at some point." Sanja looked up at the elder woman, a questioning look in her eyes. "Heavy armour, and a bigger weapon. I'm sure the boys would teach you a thing or two". She winked at the girl, which caused Sanja to blush a little. "I couldn't even carry armour that heavy! And a big sword... Vilkas will not teach me anything." Silently she added "He hates me..."

Sanja was surprised when not Aela's but Torvar's laughter interrupted her thoughts. She had completely forgotten about him being there. "Well, after all these pleasantries you told him last night, I would not be surprised if you were not his favourite."

She could feel the heat rise into her cheeks and quickly ran inside the building, unaware of the bemused looks that were following her. Could a dragon please come and eat her, like, right now?


	3. Chapter 3

It was just after sunset that Sanja finally started to feel better. Her headache was gone, and even though her muscles felt as sore as if she had been fighting a dragon recently, she felt a hundred times better than a few hours ago. But as the pain in her head faded away, her memories returned. Not sure about what embarrassed her more, vomiting all over Farkas or insulting Vilkas all night long, she tried to hide in her bed for most of the day. Ria and Farkas came to look after her from time to time, but Sanja just hid under her covers and pretended to be sick.

After a few hours, the smell of roasted meat reached her nostrils and Sanja realized how hungry she was. She had not eaten anything all day, yet the thought of joining the Companions upstairs did not appeal to her. She could probably face Farkas and apologize with a sweet smile on her lips. But Vilkas was a completely different story. Sanja buried her head under her pillow and sighed. An apology probably wouldn't change anything, he had hated her from the very first moment he had laid eyes on her after all.

Her thoughts were interrupted by someone clearing their voice just beside Sanja's bed. How did she miss the approaching person? A sideways glance revealed Tilma who had brought down a plate with food for the sick girl. Sanja could not remember ever having been so happy to see the older lady. "Thank you Tilma, you must have been reading my mind!" The old woman just laughed. "I was young once myself, my dear girl. Now eat up and you will feel much better in no time. Oh, and once you are finished, could you go and see Vilkas? I think he has some work for you."

Sanja almost choked on the piece of bread she had just shoved into her mouth, and quickly tried to wash it down with a gulp of water. Before she had recovered, Tilma had already left the quarters and Sanja was left alone with her dinner. The girl sighed. She put down her plate and got up. It seemed like there was no escape anyway. "Eyes on the prey, not the horizon." She remembered the words Farkas said to her just after he revealed their secret to the new girl. Might as well take the bull by the horns and get it over with. After all, Sanja was a Companion now, and Companions don't fear anything! Least of all other Companions. No matter how tall, dark, broody, or strong they were. Or how hard they could hit you with a sword. Or that they could turn into a werewolf and tear you into small pieces.

Sanja sat down again. This was not good at all.

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><p>Vilkas had spent most of the day outside, first training with his brother and later teaching Ria how to wield a sword. The girl was brilliant with daggers and bows, but could just not get the hang of anything that was longer than her own forearm. For him it was a successful day, even though he preferred to be somewhere outside, hunting or fighting, doing what he did best. The beastblood was calling for him. He wanted to shed some blood, and soon, which was why he decided to go on one of the missions that was actually reserved for the lower ranking Companions. Members of the Circle usually only took those tasks that were too hard for the newer recruits, but there was no work of that kind lately and Vilkas's sword was thirsty. When Kodlak asked him to take one of the newer Companions with him to teach them a few tricks on the way, Vilkas liked the idea. Company would keep his mind occupied and he was less likely to give into the beast blood. But when he heard the almost shy knock on his door, he once again wondered what Kodlak was thinking. Could he not bring Njada or Athis? Did it really have to be her?<p>

"Enter." His voice was deep and strong and stood in contrast to the self conscious young woman that entered his room seconds later. Vilkas just looked at her. Was she still hung over or actually embarrassed to be around him? However, she definitely avoided looking at him.

_Great, exactly what I need._ He sighed and crossed his arms over his chest. "You and I will go after a group of bandits near Falkreath at dawn. Be prepared to be on the road for a couple of days."

Sanja finally lifted her eyes to meet his, but it only took her a second to lower her gaze again. She seemed almost... intimidated. Vilkas growled in annoyance. What had happened to the glory of the Companions?!

The sound seemed to startle the girl and she looked back up at him, suddenly with a certain kind of fire in her eyes. "Whatever you say, boss." With these words, she turned around and left his room as fast as she could. Vilkas just shook his head and returned to his collection of maps, trying to find possible routes to track down these bandits.

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><p>Farkas just wanted to check on the new blood, but found her bed empty. Just as he was about to return to his own room, he saw the girl leave his brother's chambers. He smiled. The flush in her face was so obvious, even in the dim light of the halls of Jorrvaskr. As soon as the door closed behind her he greeted her with his loud, deep voice. "Heya, lass!"<p>

The way she jumped made him smirk. When they were exploring Dustman's Cairn, nothing seemed to unsettle her. She saw and heard every small movement ahead of her. But here she jumped as if Farkas had been sneaking up on her. "Didn't mean to scare ya." She gave him a weak smile. "You did not, I was just a bit distracted." He gave her a wolfish grin. "By my brother no doubt?"

Farkas wondered how much redder her face could become ere it popped. He liked how easily he could embarrass her, it was fun to watch her face change colour. But the shade of red it took at his last remark looked anything but healthy. "Just joking, whelp. Relax!"

He could hear her groan disapprovingly, but he just shrugged it off with a laugh and put his arm around her shoulder as he led her to his room. "You know the best cure for a hangover?" She just looked at him in surprise and shook her head while he closed the door behind them. "More mead."

With these words, he went straight behind the bar in his room and grabbed a bottle and a few tankards.

Sanja looked in shock at the older man. "Oh no, please, anything but that!" Farkas ignored her reply and shoved a full tankard into her hand. "Sit down and relax, lass." He nodded at the door, which was just opposite of his brother's. "Finally got over your differences?" Sanja sat down and sighed. "No, not really. We'll go on a mission together in the morning." She looked anything but happy and stared at her tankard. "What's the problem? Don't worry, you'll do fine. I've seen you fight before and you're still alive." He grinned at her and took a mouthful of mead. "That's not it." She suddenly looked up at him and frowned. "But why do I have to go with him? He hates me!" Farkas frowned back at her. "I assure you he does not. But from what you said last night one might think YOU hated HIM instead." Sanja just growled in response and looked back at her hands. "I had a few pints too many. I... I did not mean what I said... Well, at least not all of it." He could tell how uncomfortable she was being reminded of the events of the previous night and could not help but laugh. Her eyes returned to him immediately and for a second he was sure she'd punch him for his insensitivity, but instead she just got up and spoke with a whiny voice. "Not you too, Farkas! Torvar said the same thing... I didn't mean that!" "Well, I'm sure you apologized while you were in his room, did you not?" Naturally Farkas knew the answer, but seeing her like this amused him. And she would learn an important lesson about respect and humility. Sanja sat down again. "I should have, shouldn't I? But... how?" Farkas grinned and downed the contents of his tankard. "I'm sure you'll think of something in the morning, whelp. Now go and get some sleep."

The girl nodded and got up. Just as she was about to leave the room, Farkas held her back. "Didn't you forget something?" Sanja sighed and looked at her tankard. With a look of defeat on her face, she drank the whole content in one go and immediately looked as if she was about to be sick. "Now go to bed before you throw up all over me again." Farkas laughed, but the girl's face just turned all red and she practically fled from his room.

Oh yes, that would be an interesting journey. With a smile on his face, Farkas brought the half empty bottle up to his lips and took a gulp. He wished he could be there to watch her on her trip with his brother.


	4. Chapter 4

They had left Jorrvaskr just before dawn. Farkas had been awake to see his brother off and make a few smart remarks that forced the colour into Sanjas cheeks, but apart from that the morning had been mostly uneventful. They had just left Whiterun and wandered the fields as the sun was rising behind the mountains. She was lost in thought. The brothers seemed so... different when they were together than when she was around. That morning Sanja could almost smell the intimacy and trust between the two of them and a pang of jealousy hit her.

It was Vilkas who had noticed her presence first. His eyes immediately found hers, and all the warmth that was there a second ago just vanished to be replaced with the coldness she was so used to.

Farkas just smiled at the girl. She forced a smile back, but could not deny the disappointment when she realized how different the one she received from him was to the smile he gave his brother seconds earlier.

Sanja walked always a few steps behind Vilkas. They had not spoken two sentences all day long and she felt more than just a little uncomfortable. Just as she thought about something to say, just to break the silence, Vilkas turned around and looked at her.

"Let me know when you are awake, so we can discuss our mission."

Sanja pouted. Ah well, that was probably better than nothing. "Of course I am awake!" Vilkas just shrugged. "You seemed like you were sleepwalking ever since we left Jorrvaskr."

The girl glared at him. She was not sleepwalking, she was just... thinking. With a sigh she closed up to him, waiting for her Companion to say whatever it was he had to say.

"Our client wants us to get rid of some bandits that have been attacking caravans east of Falkreath. The bandit hideout is probably in one of the caves southeast of the city. We will find and obliterate them." Vilkas looked at the girl, obviously not expecting a reply but rather studying her face, almost as if he wanted to read her mind. Sanja would be damned if she showed any signs of excitement, nervousness, or fear. All the things she felt as she thought about taking on a whole camp of bandits with no help apart from Vilkas of all people.

"There are supposed to be between six and eight bandits in that camp, but nobody knows for sure. Yet, experience tells me that six to eight usually means between ten and twelve. Are you prepared for something like this, whelp?"

Sanja glared at him. Was it not a bit too late to ask that question? She could hardly turn around now. A dozen bandits! And just the two of them should handle them?

"Aye, I am." Her voice sounded not as confident as she had hoped it would, and she knew Vilkas noticed as well. The girl almost expected him to give her a triumphant smile but was all the more surprised when he stopped and looked at her with a frown.

"If you are not confident, then I will do this on my own. False pride will only get you killed, newblood."

The girl growled at him. "Sanja! My name is Sanja."

For the first time, she could see the corners of his mouth twitch. "I know."

Vilkas just continued on his way as if they had never spoken a word, but Sanja decided not to let him get away like that. "Right, as if I could let you take on an army of bandits all by yourself!" She felt almost blackmailed. Sure, she wanted to be a Companion. She wanted to fight, wanted to earn glory, fame and fortune, but she was not suicidal either. Nobody could take down twelve armed bandits on their own.

Vilkas just shrugged. "Wouldn't be the first time."

Sanja needed a second to gather herself. "You fought a dozen bandits all by yourself?" With a few quick strides she caught up to him and was walking beside the older man. He just shrugged. "We are Companions. That is what we do. If you think you are incapable of keeping up with us, then maybe you should reconsider your career. There is no room for milkdrinkers in our ranks."

And for the first time in her life, Sanja indeed felt like a milkdrinker. Keeping her thoughts to herself, she let Vilkas go ahead and stayed a few steps behind him, trying to get over what he just said to her. All her life she had been one of the strongest. There were not many people that could keep up with her, no matter what she was doing. And then there were the Companions, a completely different league of people. And all of a sudden, Sanja feared she might indeed not be good enough.

"Hey, wait for me!"

But she would be damned if she admitted this to Vilkas!

Sorry for the short chapter, I hope I will be able to write more over the weekend. Stupid exams!

I am not sure if Vilkas is not a bit too OOC. I don't like how everyone always describes him as an asshole. Personally I think he is just missunderstood :) Werewolves need love, too!


	5. Chapter 5

Vilkas could tell the girl was afraid. He did not mind, fear was often the only thing that kept you alive. A lesson the newblood yet had to learn.

She obviously tried to act tougher than she was but to him that just made her ridiculous. Even if it were a dozen bandits, the element of surprise was on their side. And they were Companions after all.

Farkas had told his brother that morning not to underestimate the girl, so he wouldn't. Yet she did nothing to help him gain confidence in her. By Talos, she was not even confident in herself!

Vilkas knew that his brother had revealed his beastblood to Sanja, and also that she knew he was no different from Farkas. It should not have surprised her that a dozen foes did not pose a threat to him. That is, a dozen normal foes. Unprepared, surprised, fearful of the creature that attacks out of the darkness. The girl was intimidated by the implicitness her shield-brother used to talk about these fights. This was his daily business, though it rarely ever came down to a battle of one against twelve.

Maybe he should not have bragged like that, but Vilkas was hoping that a little fear in her heart would keep her mind focused on the goal ahead. Wiping out the camp was only the second most important thing. The first was survival, and to survive you need to respect, maybe even fear your enemy. This was the lesson he decided to teach her on their trip.

Vilkas listened to every step behind him. He always knew exactly where she was, how fast she was walking, even what she was doing. Her mind wandered and she was not focused on the path. Were it not for him, she would be easy prey for wild animals or bandits. He almost had to laugh at this thought. A Companion, robbed blind by a couple of beggars armed with pitchforks. That would be a glorious tale to tell!

The sound of Sanja's footsteps behind him stopped together with something that sounded like an avalanche far off in the distance. "Eyes on the prey, not the horizon." Vilkas heard himself say, but the girl was not moving. He turned around to prompt her when he noticed the look on her face. The girl was as white as if she just had seen a ghost, her eyes were directed towards a nearby mountain range. He took a few steps in her direction to see if she was alright. "Newblood?"

There was that sound again, coming from the very mountains Sanja was watching. And this time, Vilkas saw it too. "By Talos..."

Vilkas grew up with tales of dragons. When he was a pup, he dreamed of slaying a dragon just to present Jergen with its head. But of course these were just fairy tales. Nobody remembered if the stories about the winged creatures were true at all, and even if they were, there had not been any dragons in Skyrim for thousands of years.

However, this creature that was currently flying in their general direction was real.

Vilkas did not know what to do. Would the beast attack? Should they hide? Would the creature even see them?And if it attacked, how could a dragon be defeated?

He remembered talking to a watchman the other day who told him the Dragonborn had appeared from nowhere and helped them kill a dragon just outside Whiterun. Vilkas had thought the man must have had hit the skooma and shrugged it off. But now... he wished he had asked HOW that so called Dragonborn had defeated the beast.

He would get his answer sooner than he expected.

Before Vilkas had even made up his mind about what to do, the familiar and comforting sound of a bowstring tore him out of his daze. Surprised he turned his head back to the girl. He had never seen her so confident before. It was as if she held a secret. As if she knew something he did not. It unsettled him greatly.

However, her arrows got the dragon's attention so there was little else Vilkas could do than growl and reach for his own bow. "A dragon... How are we supposed to kill a dragon?" He did not expect her to answer, and even less for her to sound as bold as she did. "Leave that to me. Focus on getting him on the ground. That one is a frost dragon, so take cover behind trees if necessary."

Vilkas glared at her for a second while readying another arrow. "How would you know anyway?"

She just smiled.

Then the dragon charged at her.

Vilkas and Sanja both jumped out of the way, both in different directions. The dragon was on the ground just for a moment, trying to crush the girl with its giant mouth. Vilkas reached for his greatsword and attacked the beast from behind, trying to slash at its spine... or rather where Vilkas suspected the spine should be.

Sanja fled out of the dragon's reach and forced the creature to ascend one again.

She shouted towards Vilkas "The wings! Aim for the wings! We must keep it on the ground!"

That made sense, so within seconds another shower of arrows followed the dragon.

This time the creature went for Vilkas. It did not land, however, but hovered over a few trees not too far away from the man. He had a funny feeling what was about to happen next. However, nothing prepared him for the cold. It felt almost as if he was frozen solid onto the ground. But, being a Nord, this only stopped him for a split second before he rushed behind a group of trees, just as Sanja had told him to do.

The beast now landed on a nearby clearing and tried to follow Vilkas, snatching for him with its mouth.

Sanja had exchanged her bow with her to shortswords and silently wished, not for the first time, for a bigger weapon as she charged at the creature. With Vilkas out of reach for the moment, the dragon turned around and now faced the girl. Her shield-brother was too far away to do anything but watch as the beast attacked her, its mouth big enough to swallow her in one piece.

That was when he first heard her shout.

"FUS!"

His head had no time to comprehend what she was doing as the dragon was suddenly pushed away from her, right into the trees. A few branches seemed to stab the dragon and it was no longer able to move freely. Its cold breath froze the treetops, but apparently the creature was about to die and had lost all control over its body.

Vilkas' eyes grew bigger and bigger the longer he stared at the dying creature. Slowly its movements ceased and there was nothing left but a big, dark brown corpse pierced by the trees.

He still felt the cold from the attack that hit him, but he also remembered the monster charging at his shield-sister. So he walked towards her to check if she was hurt. Nothing could have prepared him for what happened next, though.

The dragon seemed to burn. Its scales looked as if they were disintegrating and a very bright light radiated from under its skin. This light created something that looked like a vortex, and this vortex shot towards his shield-sister.

Her scream echoed through the mountains.

Within a second, everything was over. There was Sanja, on her knees, breathing heavily. And the dragon... nothing but bones was left of it. Vilkas' mind was just processing what had happened when the girl started heavily throwing up.

_Dragonborn. She must be the Dragonborn._

In a split second he was with her, trying to keep her from falling as she tried to steady herself.

"Well fought, sister..." he was obviously just as out of breath as she was. He could see a small smile on her lips. "Do you still think I'm a milkdrinker?"

Vilkas just shook his head. "A dragon. By Oblivion, that was a dragon!"

Thank you so much for the comments and I even got a fav! Thank you RayRayzRawr :D

I really like this chapter. Took me a while to write it as well. Since I couldn't update my story yesterday (login server must have been off) I decided to add two chapters today. Hope you enjoyed reading it as much as I did writing it!


	6. Chapter 6

They had made camp shortly after their battle with the dragon. Neither of them felt tired, but there were things they needed to talk about. Sanja knew that she could not escape the confrontation with Vilkas any longer. She would have to explain a few things, whether she liked it or not.

They chose to stay beside a rock face not too far from the path. Vilkas prepared a campfire while Sanja tried to shoot something for dinner. It only took her about half an hour to hunt down a rabbit but she took some extra time to return to the camp. Boy, did she not look forward to this conversation.

Vilkas was sitting beside the fire, his back leaned against the rock, awaiting his shield-sister's return. She knew he would be there, his eyes facing in her direction, even before she could see him. Her heart beat faster as soon as she spotted him. Just as she had expected he was looking straight at her. There was no escape now.

She tried to hide her nervousness with a smile. "I caught dinner!" With a triumphant movement she showed him the rabbit. Vilkas did not seem impressed and just gestured her to sit beside him. Sanja complied, put the rabbit down and sat in some distance to her shield-brother, trying to avoid his gaze.

After what seemed like an eternity of awkward silence, his deep voice almost made her jump. "When were you planning on telling us?"

Vilkas did not seem angry, just plain curious. Sanja looked up at him and could not see any accusation whatsoever in his eyes. He seemed almost... friendly. She was not sure if she liked him that way and once again looked at the ground.

"I only found out a few days ago. The Jarl sent me to help his watchmen kill a dragon. The beast died, and all of a sudden something happened to me... I don't even know how to describe it." She looked at Vilkas, her eyes full of emotion. "I could hear the dragon. I _understood_ it. I felt its every emotion, knew its very thoughts. Some of the guards approached me and told me I was Dragonborn. Then the Jarl sent me to meet the Greybeards..."

Vilkas' eyes grew bigger and he could not help interrupting her. "You were up in High Hrothgar?".

Sanja shook her head. "I was supposed to go, and I wanted to... but on the way I encountered another dragon. This time I was on my own." She continued with a bitter smile on her lips. "It was a dragon like this one. Almost froze me to death. How I managed to escape I don't know. But I did not stand a chance on my own, so I returned to Whiterun."

Vilkas' steel grey eyes were piercing into hers. "You were trying to find company to go with you?" Sanja shook her head. "Not really. I was hoping to learn more. I can handle myself in most cases, but against a dragon... There is not much I can do on my own. Especially not with these."

She grabbed one of her shortswords and started skinning the rabbit. Vilkas could tell that she was rather skilled with the short blades, but it was quite obvious that she could barely pierce a dragonscale with a weapon as small as this.

"So you joined the Companions in search for strength?"

Sanja blushed. "Maybe. I thought if I can't learn from the best, then who else is supposed to teach me anything?"

Vilkas nodded in agreement. "You came to the right place. But you should have told us." Sanja lowered her weapon and put the half skinned rabbit down. "And if I had told you? What then?"

Vilkas was taken aback by her sharp reply. He did not have an answer to her question, so she continued.

"I have seen the way these watchmen looked at me. As if I was supposed to be some kind of supernatural being. I might be strong, and I might be Dragonborn, whatever that means, but I am just a woman. I cannot bear the pressure of everyone's high expectations. And so I ask you Vilkas, please don't tell the others. At least not yet."

He took a moment to just look in her eyes. Vilkas saw the effort it took her to ask him to keep her secret. She was obviously not comfortable with her destiny, but who could blame her?

He nodded in reply. "As you wish. I will keep your secret, and you will keep ours."

Sanja gave him a weak smile and once again picked up the rabbit. Vilkas watched her gut the animal and said after a short while "If your daily business is supposed to be dragons, a dozen bandits surely are no problem for you." Sanja stuck out her tongue at him in response. "No pressure, right?"

Shortly after dinner the girl fell asleep and Vilkas was left alone with his thoughts. He was sitting beside the fire and looked up at the sky. The moon was almost full, so sleep would not come this night._ As so often._ At least Sanja could get some rest while he kept watch. She really needed it after that battle.

Vilkas remembered the way she shouted at the fearsome beast. So this was the infamous Thu'um, this was the weapon Ulfric Stormcloak used to kill the high king. Even though Vilkas was still convinced the girl would be mostly a burden in battle, he had to admit that he was impressed. The way of the Voice was just as legendary as the Dragonborn himself, and to be confronted with so much myth at the same time was overwhelming.

He allowed his eyes to wander to the sleeping girl on the opposite side of the campfire. She was young, much younger than himself, and looked so weak. Her pale, dirty face was framed by a confused mess of dark, long hair. He did not even know where she was from, but he doubted she was Nord. _Too small, too thin, too fragile._ She rather looked like the sneaky type and Vilkas did not like that at all.

Part of him still could not accept the fact that this child was supposed to be the hero the bards were singing about. But then again, heroes were not born as heroes. And here she was, asking Vilkas and his family for help to become the hero everyone was expecting. He knew Sanja relied on them, and he could see in her eyes that she was anything but happy about this. Did she have what it takes to become a true warrior? Kodlak definitely saw something in her eyes...

The girl moved in her sleep and began to snore silently. Vilkas looked back up at the sky and wondered what other surprises were in store for him.


	7. Chapter 7

Pain.

Her head hurt. So did her chest. And her arms, especially her arms. Were her legs still there? Ahh yes, there was the pain in the legs. Good, at least they were still attached to her body.

Where was she, and why was it so dark? Sanja realized the darkness was a simple consequence of her eyes still being shut, and decided she liked it that way. Maybe it was better for now if she just focused on the pain and ignored the fact that she neither knew where she was, nor how she got there.

She took a deep breath and tried to meditate the headache away. Memories washed over her in unconnected pictures.

A battle. There had been a battle.

Suddenly she remembered. She should not be alone, Vilkas had been with her. In a sudden and painful movement that took more effort than it should have, she forced her eyes open, only to be greeted by nearly total darkness.

Sanja struggled to move her head in a desperate attempt to look left or right in search of her shield-brother, but all she was able to see was darkness.

She sighed and closed her eyes again, focusing on the distant sounds she heard.

Were those... screams? Whatever it was, it happened too far away to be sure.

How did she get here?

She remembered the dragon fight and the following night. They had camped at a relatively safe location, or so they thought. When she woke up, she... she did not remember for sure. Was it just a dream, or had they been attacked? She remembered Vilkas' shouts as he tried to wake her up, she remembered the smell of burning flesh and the smoke as their campfire spread.

Now her memories began to fit together like a jigsaw. They had been ambushed.

Vilkas had tried to fight the attackers off, but Sanja... she had not fought. Why had she not been fighting? _You tried to get up_, a little voice in her mind screamed, _but you could not move_.

She remembered figures, people most likely, and lights coming from their hands.

Magic, obviously.

She needed to find Vilkas.

Slowly Sanja open her eyes again, this time with a little less effort than before. Her hands tried to identify the surface she was lying on.

Stone. Cold, even stone. She was lying on an altar, and she was freezing.

As the girl tried to lift her arms, she noticed to her great unsettlement that her hands had loosely been chained to the rock she was lying on. Sanja's heartbeat increased as she felt panic rise in her chest. _Calm down, girl. You're a Companion. Whatever you do: don't panic._

She forced her heartbeat back to its normal speed and tried to stop the tears from falling. It was just a few chains, she surely could handle these.

Her weapons had obviously been taken from her, but it seemed her pockets had not been searched too carefully. The chains were long enough so she could still slightly move her arms. Whoever had constructed her cuffs clearly did not care about the victim's mobility.

Sanja's hand disappeared in a pocket of her vest. The lockpick was still there.

She had almost screamed out in joy as she felt the cold metal between her shaking fingers.

Another scream, closer this time. She had to hurry. For a short moment, her mind wandered to Vilkas. Where was he? Was he injured, or maybe even dead? Or even worse, was he alive and had abandoned her?

A lump formed in her throat as she tried to push the lockpick in the lock on her left hand. The chains were long, but not quite long enough to get good access. Luckily Sanja was a skinny young woman, so she managed to push the right cuff further up her arm and thus reached a position in which she could comfortably try to open the lock.

Her hands were shaking and she wanted to cry as she imagined her shield-brother might have left her there to rot. _He wouldn't do that. Never._ Or would he?

A silent click freed her left arm from the cuff and Sanja was finally able to sit up straight. Now there was only her right arm to be freed, but she was not exactly nimble with her left hand. Yet, she had no other option.

In the distance she heard a few voices speak and laugh. The young woman was not sure, but she had a feeling they were coming for her. Whoever "they" were.

As she finally managed to sit up, she took a better look around the room. It was more of a cave, carved in stone. There were a few more altars that looked a lot like hers, all of them with different body parts lying on them, one even with nothing but a loose arm chained to the rock.

This wasn't good at all.

No sign of Vilkas.

Sanja struggled to get her lockpick into the lock. She really should have practised with her left hand more often.

The voices came closer, and she was able to make out a few words.

"...will do for him, but the woman is not..."

"...means we can have her..."

She was not exactly sure what was going on, but she had a feeling it wasn't good news.

Panic crept up on her once more, and the sound of the approaching voices was disturbed by the silent breaking of her only lockpick.

Sanja felt tears rise in her eyes. She was lost.

Suddenly she saw something sparkle at the far side of the room. As she wiped the tears from her eyes, she was able to identify an axe leaned against the wall.

She swung her legt off the altar as nimbly as she could in an attempt to reach the one thing that could possibly save her, but since her right arm was still chained to the altar, she was not able to move far enough.

The only thing she was able to reach was a small, empty desk nearby. _Please, please let there be a key!_ As she opened the only drawer, she found no keys, but a small dagger stored inside. A little rush of hope returned to her as she grabbed the weapon and returned to her altar, lying back down, pretending to be asleep and hiding the small blade in her left sleeve.

Finally two people approached her, still arguing.

"She is not strong enough. The master had sent for Companions simply because she wanted stronger minions, but this one is barely more than a child."

The other voice, obviously an argonian, replied.

"All the better for us, friend. It has been a while since we received fresh flesh. Our experiments cannot wait much longer."

The other male voice, obviously human, hesitated for a moment.

"Of course you are right, but can it not wait for a little longer? Let us just have a little fun with her before we kill her. Look at her, helpless and bound. Is she not inviting?"

The argonian just chuckled.

"You do whatever you please. I will return in a hour and expect to proceed with our work then."

"Thank you, friend. I knew you'd understand."

Sanja could not believe what she was hearing. She was to be violated and then murdered? That couldn't be true.

The steps of the argonian withdrew and all the young woman heard was the rustling of clothes being removed.

"We will have so much fun, my little girl."

She was about to be sick, but knew that this was possibly her only chance. Sanja had to stay calm if she wanted to live.

Cold fingers almost tenderly touched her cheek. The eyes of the stranger seemed to burn the young woman's skin as he caressed her face. His hands slowly began to unbuckle the straps of her leather armour when the blade was buried in his neck. He never saw it coming.

Two pairs of eyes, both equally shocked, met for a split second before the Nord finally died. The body collapsed on top of the girl, his blood draining her clothes. With a swift and almost desperate movement, she pushed the body off of her down to the ground. It took her a few seconds to catch her breath before Sanja was able to search the body.

This time she was luckier. He carried a set of keys.

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><p>Vilkas could not believe he had stepped into this trap. It should have been obvious, damn it!<p>

Send a request for help, one that does not require too much manpower. Ambush the warriors, make sure to outnumber them. Take them hostage and use them in your necromantic rituals. Simple. How did he not see that coming?

He would have laughed at the irony, had he not been hanging in chains. And been naked. And tried to murder the Altmer necromancer standing before him with his eyes.

The woman just studied his body, a satisfied smile on her lips. Vilkas had never before felt so exposed. He felt like a piece of meat at the market, and there was absolutely nothing he could do about it.

"Yes, you will do..." The woman placed a hand on his chest. Vilkas hissed in reply. "Why don't you undo my chains, and I will show you what I can do?"

The Altmer laughed. "Oh, I will undo your chains. As soon as I am done with you." She turned around and walked over to a shelf with alchemical reagents and potions. After studying the labels for a minute, she picked a bottle with a dark blue fluid and produced a silver blade from her belt.

_Not silver. Why does it always have to be silver?_ Vilkas thought.

"We would not want that splendid body of yours to decompose, now would we? Playing with you would only be half as much fun if maggots were crawling through your gut."

Vilkas thought he was gonna be sick. "Let me smash that twisted head of yours"

The Altmer woman just chuckled, and for a second he thought she would almost be pretty if it weren't for the mad glint in her eyes. And of course the fact she was about to kill him and turn him into an undead.

From the corner of his eye Vilkas thought he had spotted a shadow. Another rat maybe? Nah, too small. A skeever? No, this one was bigger.

One of her minions? Unlikely, why would her minions sneak about. Rescue? Right. As if anyone would find him here.

The girl maybe? Vilkas just rolled his eyes. She was probably dead by now, just as he had predicted.

The Companion barked at the necromancer "Get done with it already, I haven't got all day."

The woman just smiled, knowing she could play with him for as long as she wanted. "Aww, my little toy is getting impatient?" She lightly placed the blade on his shoulder, moving the tip down his torso without ever so much as drawing blood. _Sadistic bitch_._ I wish someone would just cut your throat._

He hadn't even finished thinking the thought when out of nowhere a hand grabbed her head and pulled it backwards, exposing her slender neck to a dagger that cut through flesh within the blink of an eye. Her blood shot directly at Vilkas, covering him in her life juice. He just stared for a moment, unable to comprehend what just happened.

As the body collapsed, it exposed a crouched figure behind it. A figure that looked very familiar.

She jumped forward and hugged the older man.

"Vilkas, I have never been so happy to see you!" He could hear the panic in her voice and it sounded as if she was crying.

"The feeling is mutual, whelp." Yet, he was far from comfortable.

"Would you mind opening my cuffs?"

Sanja withdrew from the embrace, only to properly look at him for the very first time. "OH!" she quickly turned around, trying to hide her embarassment, and searched the body for the keys.

His voice brought her back to reality. "How did you escape?" "I was lucky, really. I'll tell you once we are out of here."

She quickly undid his bindings and handed him the axe she found earlier. Now all he had to do was find some clothes and get out of that cave.


	8. Chapter 8

_Soooo, after the long wait, I only have a short chapter for you. Sorry about that, but I haven't really been myself lately... have to force myself to write anything at all, and right now that's the best I can do._

_No promises about fast updates, only the promise that I will try._

_As always, reviews are very much appreciated! Thank yo uall so much for your interest and support!_

_Enjoy!_

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><p>The halls echoed with the sounds of dying people. This time, though, it was its inhabitants who begged for mercy at the unrelenting force of their escaped prisoners.<p>

Vilkas and Sanja cut through rows and rows of necromancers and undead, reveling in their desperate screams. The Nord just brushed their frost spells off as if they were nothing but fresh air and the young woman at his side easily dodged all the magic thrown at her. Sadly for their captors, cloth was no match for steel as they cut through the mages like a hot knife through butter.

It did not take them long to find their gear stashed away with countless similar items and weapons. Sanja took what valuables she could find, hoping the extravagant jewelry might help them identify some of the earlier victims of these necromancers. Vilkas, finally fully clothed, did not even grace her actions with a snarky remark. The young woman could not help but think that she had finally managed to impress the older Companion. But then again, the Dragonborn business might play a role in all that... sadly you never knew with Vilkas.

After what seemed like hours, they finally made their way back to the surface. Sanja had never before been so hapy to breathe fresh air. Even Vilkas closed his eyes for a moment and let his senses take over. He could smell or hear noone nearby, the birds chirped happily and the sun split the stones as if dozens of people had not just been slaughtered minutes ago. It seemed like a normal morning in Skyrim.

Sanja finally sat down on the trunk of a fallen tree. For the first time since their unusual reunion, she could feel Vilkas's eyes on her.

"You fought well, pup."

The girl just sighed. It seemed like she was stuck with 'whelp' and 'pup' for good. With an exaggerated roll of her eyes, she grumbled "I have a name, wolf." The wolf just laughed in return.

"You should rest for a while. It seems the fight has taken its toll on you." The girl shook her head. "Remember what happened the last time I took a nap? We both woke up in chains."

The edge of Vilkas's mouth twitched at this comment, but Sanja could not tell for sure if he was surpressing a smile or if he was getting annoyed with her.

"Sleep!"

His voice left no room for discussion, so the girl did what every self-respecting young warrior in her situation would do. She pouted, and then lay down in the shade of a tree.

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><p>After he had finally convinced her to get some rest, Vilkas scouted the nearby area. His wolf-senses told him there was nothing but a few animals around, but he still needed to find out where exactly they were and how they'd reach the nearest town.<p>

The girl had indeed impressed him. He had to give her credit for saving his life, something he had thought her incapable of, especially under the given circumstances. But he could tell she was drained emotionally. The fights with the mages were barely worth mentioning, and yet she looked as if she could sleep for a whole week. Vilkas imagined it must have been the whole terror of waking up in chains, unable to fight, that affectewd her so. He himself had learned to turn panic into anger, but the girl simply lacked the experience to feel anything but terror at her own helplessness.

A small smile tugged at his lips. She was far from helpless, even if she did not know it.

He finally found a clearing in the dense woods and spotted the throat of the world to the east above the treetops.

Still in Falkreath Hold, not too far away from the town. His stomach growled at the thought of a decent meal and a bottle of mead. They really deserved some rest after the day's events.

He returned to his sleeping Companion and tried to wake her, but when she only grumbled in her sleep, Vilkas changed his mind. She really needed to rest, and the town was not too far away. As carefully as possible, he hooked his left arm under her knees and supported her torso with his right arm and shoulder. She never so much as stirred as he picked her up and carried her towards Falkreath.

Luckily the members of the Circle were well known throughout Skyrim, or else a man covered in blood, carrying an unconscious woman, might have appeared suspicious – but since the guards knew Vilkas, noone batted an eyelid. He brought his companion to the inn and rented a room for her, only to leave as soon as her head hit the pillow. She never so much as stirred when the door closed behind him.

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><p>It was hours before she finally awoke. Her head hurt and her entire body was sore, but apart from that she seemd fine. The simple fact that she could freely move all of her limbs delighted her.<p>

However, she had no idea where she was, or how she got there. It was obviously a bed she was lying in, the smell of mead and roasted meat indicated she was in an inn, but how was that possible? Unless...

She remembered her trip to Dustman's Cairn with Farkas. As soon as they had entered the tomb, he told her to be careful because he did not want to haul her back home on his back. It seemed his brother didn't mind doing just that. The only question left now was: where was her shield-brother?

With more effort than she'd like to admit, Sanja streched her limbs and swung her legs over the edge of the bed. It took her a moment to rub the sleep out of her eyes. Voices and laughter echoed through the inn towards her room, one of the voices sounding like Vilkas's. Sanja was immediately relieved that he had not just abandoned her in some remote village, and immediately felt ashamed for the thought. Her shield-brother had been nothing but caring and considerate for the entire trip. She tried with her fingers to comb through the mess that was her hair and finally decided she was presentable enough to enter the main room of the inn.

As soon as she opened the door, her stomach twisted and she wished she was still unconscious.

There was her shield-brother, laughing at something someone had said to him... No, not just someone. A woman with a cleavage that, in Sanjas eyes, almost reached down to her navel. Something in her clicked at that. He was laughing... she had never made him laugh. But this... this scarcely clad woman did. Why? And how? And why did it affect her at all?

While she was still standing there, watching the scene before her, another woman aporached her and asked if she was alright, needed a drink or food. At her polite rejection, Vilkas turned around to look at her. With another few words to that... person... he approached his shield-sister, a mug of mead in hand.

"Sleep well?" he asked with a small twitch of his mouth. Sanjas stomach twisted for reasons she did not understand, and at the same time her chest burst with pride, knowing he turned his back on the obviously upset woman, only to talk to her.

She nodded and scratched her neck. "Where exactly are we, and how did we get here?"

"We are in the Dead Man's Drink in Falkreath. I figured you needed your rest, so I brought you here."

Sanja blushed a little. "You mean, you carried me all the way?"

The wolf just gave her a smug grin. "I expected something like that to happen anyway, whelp."

Sanja laughed and playfully punched his shoulder. "You're still a big jerk. Thinking that I had almost started to like you." He chuckled and shook his head at her. "Don't get used to it, so far I've been going easy on you. Here, sit down and have a drink."

He ushered her over to a table and gave the innkeeper a sign to serve them their dinner he had ordered earlier. As he shoved his tankard into her hands – her face twisting in terror at the memory of the last time she went to drink with him – he took a closer look at her. Her movements were stiff, she was obviously still exhausted from the fights, but at least the dark circles under her eyes were gone.

"I'm really not hungry... or thirsty." she said, obviously uncomfortable under his gaze. "You will eat, and you will drink." His voice left no room for discussion. He did not want to tell her how worrisome her weight – or the lack thereof – was to him when he decided to carry her. He could as well have carried her all the way back to Whiterun, come to think of it. She really needed some more meat on her bones if she was supposed to save the world.

"I've made a decision," Vilkas suddenly said. "For the time being, you will not take on any more jobs."

Sanja dropped the fork. "_What?_" she almost screamed.

"You will stay in Whiterun and train, with either me or my brother." Her fury only rose as he continued to speak. Her obvious anger did not seem to affect him at all. Who the hell did he think he was?

"That is not your decision." she finally spat out.

"If I told Kodlak about your supposed fate, he would agree with me."

Sanja bit her tongue. He wouldn't tell him, would he?

"We need to get you into better shape. You need training, and you know it."

The girl swallowed. She knew she was not as good as Vilkas or Farkas, but did he have to be so mean about it? "I... understand" she finally said, though her own voice sounded strange to her.

Vilkas nodded. "It is for your own good."

"I know" the young woman replied without looking at him.

"Good. Now, eat as much as you can and try to get some more rest. We will leave for Whiterun at dawn." With these words spoken, Vilkas left the table and headed back to the woman he was talking to earlier, who sent a victorious smirk in Sanja's direction.

She lost what little appetite she had and retired to her room. What in Oblivion was wrong with her?


	9. Chapter 9

_First of all, thanks so much for all the support and the nice comments! I wish some of the Guests would make accounts so I can thank them personally for their support :)_

_Second: This chapter is terrible OOC. I will probably change it, but I just had too much frun writing it and want to publish it before I change my mind. It's been too long and I really want to continue with this story._

_As always, comments, constructive criticism and PMs are highly appreciated!_

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><p>Farkas had enjoyed a few very quiet days back at Jorrvaskr.<p>

It was strangely quiet lately, there were very fey contracts that required the aid of an accomplished warrior such as himself, which in return allowed for a few days of rest.

Not like he needed that.

However, as long as there was noone willing to pay for the services of a member of the circle, he had no real reason to venture outside. Especially seeing as how Whiterun's protection was inoficially their business as well as the guards'.

So he spent his days with training and mead, encouraging Athis to pick up a real weapon for once and Njada to punch someone instead of just hiding behind her shield all the time.

It was standard to worry about his brother whenever he himself was not around to guard his back. He trusted Vilkas's skill, no question there, but they all knew that one day a mission would prove too much. This was their chosen fate. The way they would one day die. Every contract could be the last, and even though he tried not to worry too much, his thoughts always kept coming back to the only family he had left.

The sun was shining over Whiterun, and it would have been a wonderful day were it not for the icy winds coming from the North. Not that any of the Nords minded, the cold was never a big deal for them.

Farkas was strolling through town on his way to the stables for a simple routine visit to find out if anything interesting had happened in Skyrim. Many travellers were not allowed inside the city itself, so once a day a member of the Companions would head outside to see if the Khajit merchants brought news or some possible contracts for them. He could have sent anyone else to fulfil this menial task, but he was hoping for word of his brother who had been gone for longer than Farkas felt comfortable with.

It was around noon when he left the city to visit Skulvar and have a short chat with him. He might even head down to the meadery since he really had nothing else to do at this time.

He knew his brother could handle anything that was thrown at him, yet he worried. Anyway, it was too soon to be nervous. His brother and the girl would be fine, unless of course they tore each other to pieces for some reason or another. Farkas had to smile at this. His brother way not easily provoked by mere words, but should she somehow manage to piss him off, Aedra be merciful. Vilkas had quite the temper, and Sanja had quite the talent for putting her foot in her mouth.

As much as Farkas would have liked for these two to get along, he knew it would take a lot of time and patience. Such things did not happen overnight.

He was so lost in thought on his way to the meadery that he almost did not hear the familiar voices coming closer. The wind was blowing from the North, so he could not smell his brother, but his sensitive ears picked up something that almost sounded like laughter coming from the eastroad to Riverwood.

It did not take him long to make out the two familiar figures approaching him, seemingly deep in conversation. Farkas's eyes grew bigger. Here the two of them were, chatting as if they had been best friends for years. As soon as Vilkas spotted his brother, he lifted a hand in greeting and gave him one of his rare smiles. Sanja immediately ran towards the big Companion and greeted him by throwing her arms around his neck and squeezing him as hard as she could.

"Farkas, it is so good to see you!"

Surprised by the greeting, he laughed and returned the hug. "Good to see you too, Pup. And both of you still in one piece it seems."

Vilkas chuckled silently and nodded. "Aye, miraculously we are both still alive."

Sanja finally let go of the older Companion and looked at him with excitement in her eyes. "I even got to save Vilkas's life!"

Farkas frowned. That couldn't be right.

Vilkas immediately interfered. "Hold on there a second, Whelp. That is not quite how I remember it. It was me who carried you all the way to Falkreath!" he teased.

Sanja turned around and glared at the Companion who, had it not been for the amused glint in his eye, looked as serious as ever. "That's not what I mean and you know it! Farkas, listen, it was like this. Vilkas and I got ambushed..." She was interrupted by Vilkas putting a hand on her shoulder and giving her a push in the direction of Whiterun. "Don't listen to her, brother. She got hit on the head. Repeatedly. Probably by me."

At this Farkas had to laugh. What in Oblivion had happened to them and why, oh why, had he not been there to witness whatever it was?

"Vilkas, stop being so mean! Let Farkas bask in my glory. I really need to tell him!" Sanja apparently did not realize how much Vilkas enjoyed teasing her in front of his brother, but Farkas could have laughed tears. He had not seen his brother like this in quite a while, and it felt good to see him so relaxed.

"I'm sure my brother has more important things to do than listen to your delirious ramblings." He then turned to Farkas. "Next she will make up a story about Necromancers or some nonsense like that. Don't listen to a word she says." He tried to pretend not to feel the punches the girl threw at his shoulder, trying to interrupt him. Now even she had to laugh as she realized the futility of punching a man wearing steel plate.

"Nothing important to do, really... I was just headed for the meadery."

"More important than your stories, Whelp. I told you. Well brother, we will see you at home later." He waved his brother goodbye and simultaneously pushed the still laughing girl towards the city gates.

Farkas was watching their backs in confusion. What in Oblivion had just happened?

* * *

><p>They were still arguing and laughing as they entered Jorrvaskr. The meadhall was empty this time of day. Everybody was either out training or on a mission, so nobody except for Tilma was there to welcome the two warriors. Sanja immediately headed towards the stairs, looking forward to a change of clothes and maybe a little more rest. Vilkas stayed behind.<p>

"You not going to your room?" she asked. He shook his head. "I have some errands to run. And your training will begin tomorrow at dawn. So you better get some sleep. I promise you, I will not hold back." His eyes glinted with mirth and Sanja shook her head, still chuckling. "Hey Vilkas, I still wanted to apologize."

The amusement in his eyes disappeared and he frowned instead. "What are you talking about?" He was still alive. She did not get him killed, so where was the problem?

"...For the things I said to you." She looked down at the ground, hiding her hands behind her back. "I mean, the other day in the Bannered Mare..."

Again Vilkas's mouth twitched into a half-smile. Sanja had to admit to herself that she quite liked it when he smiled. It was definitely better than his annoyed glares or his frown. "I can't even remember what you said, Pup. You're thinking too much."

He put a hand on her shoulder. "Go and get some rest, you will need it."

Sanja's heart felt a lot lighter. A weight had been taken off her shoulders and she nodded with a big smile. "Thank you, Shield-brother."

She quickly turned around and headed downstairs.

Vilkas just shook his head. Young people these days! He then left the meadhall and headed towards the Skyforge. So much to do, so little time.


	10. Chapter 10

_Thanks again for the nice comments! But I must admit, I'd still love you, my new dear regular readers & guests who frequently send comments, to make an account so I can reply to you :)_

_Anyways, another chapter. Have fun!_

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><p>It was almost dawn and neither Vilkas nor Farkas had slept that night. This was not unusual, especially after one of them had just returned from a mission. Stories had to be told and the mead in Farkas's room didn't drink itself after all.<p>

They were sitting at the small bar they had built almost a decade ago. As much as they loved the meadhall and the company of their shield-siblings, there was nothing the twins enjoyed more than the occasional evening together, just like in good old times when they would sneak out of their rooms as pups, robbing a bottle of mead from the larder, not realizing that half of the Companions were in fact werewolves and, due to their sharp senses, well aware of the nightly mischief the young orphans caused. However, they let them get away with it most of the time.

It was safe downstairs. Even though they could still feel the nightly call of the moon, the closeness to the earth soothed Vilkas's blood and allowed him to stay calmer than he was above ground, and especially under a clear sky. Now they could feel the moon retreat and the earth awaken.

Vilkas had told his brother in detail about his trip with their new protégée, leaving out only the Dragonborn-business. "There is more to her than hits the eye" he confessed, "but it is not my place to tell you. I hope she will do so of her own accord when she is ready."

Farkas nodded, trying not to feel offended that his brother, whom Sanja seemed to hate only a few days ago, had learned of a secret that he, who even revealed his beastblood to her, was not to share. However, it was her choice, and Farkas was sure that his brother would let him know if it really were important.

"So, we're going to turn her into a real warrior?" Vilkas shrugged. "I suppose we have to. She will not last very long like this." His brother nodded in agreement. "Have you spoken to Skjor and Aela?" Vilkas shook his head. "Not yet, no. I don't think she should train with Aela yet. Their styles are too similar, even though Sanja's is less refined. I believe it best to start from scratch with something completely new. And Skjor..." Farkas nodded. No more words were needed, they both knew exactly that training with Skjor at her current level was not an option.

"You know, I am glad the two of you get along now" Farkas suddenly confessed. Vilkas frowned in response. "Escaping a death trap together will do that to most people, as you know. However, that does not mean I will go easy on her." Farkas shook his head. "Of course not."

Sanja slept the sleep of the just. No dreams haunted her and when a firm hand shook her awake, she felt well rested and ready for action. It took her a few moments to realize who exactly was crouching beside her bed, silently calling her name in order to wake her.

"Mornin' Farkas" she grinned. "Good morning whelp. Ready for action?" he whispered in order not to wake up anyone else. As she sat up in bed, Sanja yawned and lazily stretched her limbs. "I s'ppose so."

Her shield-brother chuckled and ruffled her hair. "Good, then get ready. We are waiting for you in the courtyard." With these words he got up and left the bedroom.

The young woman yawned once again, then finally swung her legs over the edge of the bed and got up. After tying her messy hair into a lazy braid and putting on some simple clothes, she made her way upstairs, grabbing a slice of bread on the way.

As soon as she opened the doors to the courtyard, she could smell dawn. Dewdrops covered the ground and the sun was just rising at the horizon. It was a beautiful morning and the young woman was full of confidence and energy... until she saw the twins.

Farkas was grinning widely while Vilkas had his arms crossed in front of his chest, looking at the young woman. They were standing beside the small tables in front of the courtyard, not really looking any different from the usual. Farkas was wearing his steel armour and Vilkas his favourite wolf armour. What made Sanja drop her breakfast in surprise and slight shock however were not the twins, but rather the things spread out on the table beside them.

"Good morning, whelp" Vilkas greeted, the corners of his mouth twitching in amusement at the shock in her eyes. "I hope you slept well. Today is going to be a long day!" Sanja did not for a second doubt the truth in his words. "Vilkas... what is this?" she finally asked. He just raised an eyebrow as if to ask her if she was serious. "What does it look like to you?" Farkas was chuckling, trying hard to contain his laughter. Her face was just too funny.

"It looks like your armour, and ridiculously large weapons." she admitted.

"Don't be silly, whelp. I am wearing my armour. This is _your_ armour." He lifted the chestpiece of the smaller wolf armour to emphasize his point. It had obviously been crafted for a woman. "And these are _your_ weapons." He pointed at the Skyforge steel greatsword, the warhammer and the battleaxe lying on the table. Sanja swallowed. They had to be kidding, right?

She took a few cautious steps towards the twins, hoping that she was just dreaming. But when her fingers touched the cold, smooth surface of the armour, she realized that this was, indeed, reality.

Farkas gave her a wide grin while Vilkas just looked as indifferent as usual. "Go on, try it on. Eorlund will be here shortly to make all the necessary adjustments. The armour must fit perfectly in order to serve its purpose."

Sanja began to panic. "Vilkas, I cannot wear heavy armour! It weighs a ton!" she almost shouted.

Farkas put a hand on her shoulder in order to calm her down. "Relax, whelp. That's why we are here."

Vilkas nodded. "You will learn to wear it, and you will gain the necessary strength in time." "However," Farkas interfered, "You will have to wear it every day to get used to it."

Sanja's heart beat fast. She would be almost immobile!

"Is there anything I can say or do to avoid this?" she pleaded. The twins answered in unison. "No."

"Yeah... thought so..." she mumbled. "Very well, will you at least help me to get into this monstrosity?" she asked.

The twins gave each other a victorious smirk. With a few practised movements they adjusted the different pieces and helped Sanja into her wolf armour.

The young woman almost landed on her face as she tried to make the first few steps in that impossible metal suit. How could Vilkas wear something like that and yet be as graceful in battle as he was? Sanja did not understand it.

Farkas took a closer look at the young girl. It was odd what difference an armour made. Now she looked almost like a warrior. Still a bit too young, but the steel forced her to stand straight which made her look taller and more confident. He really was hoping this would work. Her discomfort was obvious, but it had to be done.

"Why can't I wear light armour?" she finally asked. "Because..." Vilkas began as he fastened another buckle at the side of her armour, making her exhale stromgly in the process "...you must be prepared for all eventualities. Once you are sufficiently proficient in the use of all tools, you are free to choose your favourite. Until then, however, you will do as we say. Now, choose your first weapon."

He nodded towards the weapons on the table. Sanja gulped. "Did you not just say you would choose for me?"

Vilkas shrugged. "You will use all of them sooner or later. It hardly matters with which one we start for the techniques are very similar. They all have their advantages and disadvantages."

Sanja shrugged and stiffly walked over to the table. She first lifted the greatsword. "Its is heavy... but much lighter than I thought it would be." She tried to hold it with both hands, repeatedly changing the way in which she held the blade. "You swing it like a club. Maybe you should start out with a different weapon until you get used to using both hands simultaneously."

Sanja put the greatsword back on the table and lifted the axe instead. As soon as she gave it an elegant swing, she smiled at Farkas. He just grinned back. "I didn't see that coming, but it's a good choice."

Vilkas nodded. "Just like Ysgramor himself."

"I didn't think it'd be easier to wield such a heavy axe than a sword" she admitted. Vilkas walked over to her and pointed out the way she naturally held the weapon. "Your hands are close together when you hold a greatsword. On a battleaxe or a warhammer, your hands are further apart. The weight is more evenly spread and it might be easier to balance the weapon. Of course it always depends on the weapon itself."

Sanja looked at him in awe. She had dreaded this day, but now that her time had come to learn from the twins, she felt her heart beat with excitement. "Very well, let's get started!" she shouted joyously, heading towards the courtyard, eager to start her training. The twins nodded at each other and followed the young woman.

* * *

><p>Sanja was in pain. So much pain. And the embarrassment... It had only been a few days since she last hid under the covers of her bed, hoping a dragon would swoop down and eat her. She thought she was over that. But she could still hear Farkas's laughter, remembered Vilkas shaking his head in disbelief.<p>

Divines, this was so humiliating! What did she do to deserve this?

Damn the man who invented steel armour to Oblivion! They really could have warned her about the few steps leading down to the courtyard _before_ she made a complete fool of herself by landing on her face and hurting herself enough to force them to actually cancel the training session.

Her only comfort had been that, apart from the twins, nobody had been around to witness her clumsiness. Nevertheless, the noise she made while falling was enough to wake several of her shield-siblings and the story spread quickly. Sanja knew Njada would never let he live this down.

But what bothered her most for some reason was Vilkas's disappointed look. How he shook his head just like he did when he first met her. As if she was still hopeless. Which she probably was.

Sanja felt like crying. She had tried so hard to impress him, and was sure she had succeeded on their little field trip. But now all that seemed forgotten and she had to start from the beginning again.

The young woman stared up at the ceiling of the bedroom, counting the candles on the chandelier, unable to move far due to her aching limbs. Why did it bother her so much what Vilkas thought about her?

She bit her lower lip. For days Sanja had been able to avoid these thoughts, but now that there was little else to do, her mind began to wander. She wanted Vilkas to acknowledge her. To see her as an equal. She wanted to make him smile more often, to hear his laughter like the day before when they had returned to Jorrvaskr. The look he gave her after her fall this morning hurt more than all the bruises combined.

She couldn't do this. She was no warrior, and she doubted she would ever become one. This was a bad idea from the start. She should just forget about it. There was bound to be another dragonborn somewhere out there. Why in Oblivion should she of all people be the one to save the world? She couldn't even walk down a few steps without injuring herself.

Maybe the life of a warrior was not meant for her. Maybe Vilkas was right when first met her. Maybe she really did not belong here.

Maybe she should just leave.


End file.
